Journalist鈥檚 call for Liverpool鈥檚 Mohamed Salah to shave beard sparks social media outrage

In an article published by the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram, Salah Montaser said Mohamed Salah should shave his beard, causing outrage. (AFP)

CAIRO: An Egyptian columnist has ignited a firestorm on social media by calling on Liverpool鈥檚 star forward Mohamed Salah to shave his beard, saying he looks like a 鈥渢errorist.鈥�
In an article published on Sunday by the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram, Salah Montaser said Salah should shave his beard as it 鈥減uts him in one basket with extremists.... and terrorists.鈥�
Fans criticized the article on social media, saying facial hair is a personal choice and that people shouldn鈥檛 be judged on their appearance.
Salah is the Premier League鈥檚 joint-top scorer, with Tottenham鈥檚 Harry Kane, with 24 goals this season. He is on one of the best scoring sprees in Europe鈥檚 big five leagues right now.
He is a huge celebrity in his native Egypt, which is struggling to combat an Daesh-led insurgency.